KIRKUS REVIEW

Atkinson (Apocalypse All the Time,
2017, etc.) offers a collection of flash-fiction about subjects ranging from an
invasion of aerobic dancers to a tyrannosaur-sized human looking for living
space.

Each of the absurdist tales here drops
its main characters into bizarre, often surreal situations, with most clocking
in at less than two pages in length. In one, the narrator refuses to exit a Ferris
wheel at the “Scotchtoberfest,” all to avoid Henry Kissinger, who wants to know
what happened to his 1987 Chevy convertible. Similarly weird predicaments
abound in other tales—a city’s residents uses price comparison and couponing to
find a new mayor, a civilization of tiny elves turns up in an old oatmeal
container, or a cellophane-wrapped Christmas ham is, sadly, also made of
cellophane and packing tape. Historical figures and celebrities also populate
the book, including Benjamin Franklin on a cocaine high and in need of gas
money, and Tom Cruise, who vainly tries sparking discussions on controversial
matters, such as Scientology, with an apathetic new neighbor. Pop-culture
references are generally to decades-old TV shows and movies, but Atkinson effectively
links them to more topical concerns, such as genetically modified foods. He
also tackles air travel and, repeatedly, dentists and tooth care. The majority
of the stories’ titles are inordinately long and sometimes irrelevant, but
typically hilarious, such as “Linseed Oil is Not an Effective Sunblock Ointment
Even If You Mix it With Two Parts Crisco and Three Parts Heavy Water
Beforehand, James Madison’s Amateur Home Hobbyist Chemistry Thesis
Notwithstanding.” Even at its most preposterous, though, Atkinson’s prose is
sharp: “Ten thousand pairs of shoes sitting alone in a square? Of course,
elephants were going to come in and steal them. What else?” And despite the
stories’ brevity, readers won’t feel shortchanged, as there are well over 100
of them.

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